Lets Rendezvous
We’re going off piste today, taking a little daydream holiday so pack your dream bags and come with us.
You’ve played that game, ‘If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would it be…?’ and one fabulous bed and breakfast called ‘Rendezvous’ in Palm Springs often pops up when I play it with my husband. We visited back in 2010 so you know it made an impression on us! That said please excuse the few photos I have to offer, I didn’t realise I’d be using them on a blog when we took them.
Should you be lucky enough to find yourself on the West Coast of the States or plan a trip there and stumble into Palm Springs then you might want to check out Rendezvous, but first let’s fill you in on why.
When travelling across America we tried a variety of accommodation from our tent to tall boats and motels to top end hotels. We soon found out that a good American Bed and Breakfast can be a fun, luxurious and special place to stay if you only know where to look and we recommend starting with The Select Registry. The Select Registry is a great little book, pick one up if you see one, it lists all the best Bed and Breakfasts in America and so far we have not been disappointed by any of their selections, including Rendezvous.
We arrived in October having escaped the madness of Las Vegas and looking to relax for a few days before taking on Los Angeles. It was hot. We wanted a place with a pool and bit of something ‘different’. At Rendezvous each of the 10 rooms all open onto the pool and patio area so that was the first box ticked. Now for the special part, Rendezvous has bags of character, being a retro hotel it oozes with vintage style and boasts carefully themed rooms to choose from. The rooms range from Hawaiian Surf’ and ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ to ‘Route 66’ and the ‘Honeymoon Hideaway’. Having a love of old films and all things retro and vintage there was no question that we had to give this place a go and we loved it. Think it sounds good so far? Just you wait…
We stayed in ‘Silver Screen’, and when I spotted a picture of Humphrey Bogart by the bed I couldn’t have been happier, I’m a big fan and even named my first car Bogey after the big man himself. Our room had a comfy king bed but it was the whirlpool bath tub by the frosted glass brick window with the rubber ducky that won me over. That was, of course, before I noticed the jar by the bed which on opening we discovered contained fresh home baked treats! We later discovered these got refilled during the day, on the first day we had a chocolate caramel treat and the next day we had a lemon cheesecake bar. Saving them for later and despite the soaring heat outside it seemed only right to do a little sun bathing. This was the sort of sunbathing where a dip in the pool is not only a must but frequent as it was so hot I’d rather be in the pool.
Now, if for some crazy reason I wasn’t already totally won over we then discovered the free happy hour cocktails and appetisers which are served in the evening by the pool – pure genius! Delicious blue martinis and Mexican style canapés which set us up perfectly for dinner. That evening we enjoyed an excellent fish dinner at The Fisherman’s Market, it has a very casual feel, you order at the counter and the fish is fresh and delicious. We followed this up with key lime pie creation at the Coldstone Creamery which, if you like ice cream, is a must visit and can be found all over the States.
The following morning we had chosen to have breakfast at 8.30am so we could make the most of the day. Breakfast, when staying away from home, can be a hit or miss event but this 3 course delight cooked up by Jake and Betty, hit the nail on the head. We started with a banana bread and a tropical smoothie, followed by cantaloupe drizzled with yogurt and granola and finally Mexican style eggs served with guacamole and salsa. You really can’t beat a fresh, home cooked breakfast made just for you.
There is so much to see and do in the area, even if you just do a spot of shopping or visit a nearby beach and hire a retro bike but the hotel also offers a massage studio, old movie dvds, bike rental and a selection of extras to make your stay special. On our last night we walked to Rick’s Diner, a Cuban American grill and enjoyed plantain, rice, beans, fish and chicken. We genuinely couldn’t fault our stay, the attention to detail at Rendezvous was excellent, the weather was fantastic, the food scrummy, the room was boutique, retro, fun and well thought out, the whole place suited us down to the ground and I’d happily go right now if I could!
You can visit Rendezvous at http://www.palmspringsrendezvous.com/ on Facebook and Twitter.
Love is in the air…
Valentines Day is this just a day away and while many of you may have booked dinner reservations, ordered flowers, stocked up on chocolate or maybe even bought a ring months ago we know that sometimes its fun to throw caution to the wind, find something special last minute and go on an impulse. So if that is you, your search is over, we have a last minute slot available for our fabulous, brand new Romance Package.
Perfect for Valentines the package is only £50. Includes hire of our heart shaped picnic basket, cutlery, vintage china trios (tea cup, saucer and plate) and packed with sandwiches, 2 personalised cupcakes, a 6 inch heart shaped cake decorated with edible rose petals, scones and jam and your choice of our luxury loose leaf tea and extra goodies for our loved up valentines. Not only that but, as with all our packages, we do the washing up!
The Scrumptious Tearooms
I love tea, and, luckily, I grew up with a family who love tea, in a nation that…loves tea! I love having a cuppa and a natter especially with friends or with my Mum in the kitchen. On visits home I always get a cup of tea brought to me in the morning, loose leaf English Breakfast – yes I am spoilt! So when I stumbled across The Secret Tea Society there was no doubt in my mind that I had to become a member and gain access to their fabulous events. So when they asked me to pop in to the Scrumptious Tearooms, and blog about it, I was thrilled. Any excuse to try a new tea, visit a tearoom or tuck into cake is right up my street so it’s lucky this latest venture took me straight down that street into tearoom heaven.
Tucked in the centre of Great Dunmow, a historic village in Essex, you will find the Scrumptious Tearooms, winners of ‘The Best Tea Shop and Coffee Shop in Essex’ awarded by the Essex Life Fine Food and Drinks Awards 2013. The surrounding countryside is scenic, the roads wind around the fields and there are plenty of opportunities to pop into a farm shop to pick up eggs or you know, hay. If you find yourself exploring the area I’d also recommend popping into the pretty little village of Finchingfield, it has a surprisingly steep drive up to the church, a lovely antiques shop and a windmill.
Back in Great Dunmow The Scrumptious Tearooms sits on the corner of the main road through the town. Teapots are painted into the name on the shop front and the hanging teapot sign whispers promises of a nice cup of loose leaf tea; all clearly display their love of tea before you even step inside. On entering I found myself welcomed with a smile into a bustling tearoom, cakes on display and the perfect tearoom music playing, so far, so good!
The menu offered everything from full afternoon tea to homemade quiche and all kinds of cake but I already knew I wanted the Flitch Tea which is a scone, cream, jam and a drink. Now, you may be thinking…’but surely that is just a Cream Tea?’, and essentially you would be right but for two things. First the scone choice and tea choice is in no way ordinary but utterly enticing, ranging from the Golden Monkey tea to Precious Peach and gingerbread hot chocolate to the Breckland Orchard soft drinks. I chose the cranberry and white chocolate scone and English Rose tea. Secondly the name, Flitch Tea, actually hints at a local past time, the Flitch Trials, which are actually quite romantic and have nothing to do witches, thieves or highway men. The story goes that a local Lord and Lady went to the priory of Little Dunmow dressed as common folk and begged for a blessing over their marriage of one year and one day, to gain the blessing they had to prove their devotion. Fortunately they did and the Prior rewarded them with a ‘Flitch of Bacon’. When the Lord and Lady revealed who they really were they gave land to the Priory on the condition that other couples could also receive a flitch of bacon if they could prove their devotion similarly. It is believed the trials date as far back as 1104 and records show them happening in 1445! The trials continue to this day with the next booked in for 2016, but let’s pop the history lesson to one side and get back to the Flitch Tea.
Everything came out together, presented on vintage china which I believe makes every occasion feel special. The Forlife stump tea pot comes with a timer which lets you know when to remove the infuser so that your tea is perfectly brewed – I can’t really put into words how exciting this was for me but if you love tea too then I trust you understand. If you’ve never taken the time to brew a pot of loose leaf tea and properly enjoy it then I urge you to do so as soon as possible and the Scrumptious Tearooms is a fab place to start. The English Rose tea smelt divine and it really delivered on taste. A black tea with the gentle rose flavour that, if you close your eyes, could have you imagining yourself lazing in a rose garden or tucking into Turkish delight. The pink petals were a pretty addition too. I have only recently tried rose tea but I am quickly becoming a fan and this was an excellent example. They also recommend trying it iced with pomegranate and cranberry juice so I have no doubt I’ll be back in the summer to try that.
As soon as they mentioned the white chocolate and cranberry scone I honestly couldn’t resist it but managed to hold back just long enough to take some photos. The white chocolate added a luxurious, creaminess to the scone and went perfectly with the cranberry. After a quick chat with Jane, the owner, I soon found out that they love being creative with their scones (a woman after my own heart) so you will always find exciting special scones available and usually including a gluten free option. The cream and jam came in handy shot glass sizes which was just right for me, I felt indulged but not sick which is usually the case since I have very little self control when it comes to good food. You know you’ve had a top notch eating experience when you devour every last morsel and drink every drop placed before you and wish it wouldn’t end.
I had a little wander around the tearoom before leaving which is elegantly decorated in a duck egg colour and there are lots of personal touches such as the teaspoon coat hanger and teacup lights. The toilets are signposted, the newsletter is on the wall and a full length mirror is available to check your tea dress before returning to your table. The parlour room in the back has a beautiful fire place and so does the room upstairs which can be booked for private parties. They are also working on a Library room which will be available to book too. Jane clearly has an infectious passion about the tearooms and I have no doubt that exciting events (keep an eye out for their Knit and Natters and their first Supper Club), fine tea and interesting bakes will continue to be at the heart of them. You can visit them on Facebook or Twitter and get more information here and if you’re a member of the fabulous Secret Tea Society don’t forget you get a discount with your membership card!
I’ll leave you to admire their awesome answer to tea room lighting!
